In a way that is not easy to explain John Paul models something I believe evangelicals need very badly. He demonstrated that a Christian theologian can affirm the faith confessionally, including the distinctives of ones own tradition, while at the same time he can pursue the witness of the Spirit in unity with those who express significant disagreement. Simply put, unity can be pursued without embracing liberalism and the ecumenical agenda of the mid-to-late twentieth century. One does not have to deny the basic points upon which we remain divided while we also have meaningful conversation and relationship. The place to begin is with core orthodoxy, a classical Christian confession that inspires both faith and action (e.g., the Apostles Creed, The Nicene Creed, etc.). This man understood that point. His agenda is still to be worked out in the decades ahead but John Paul II set a new direction that many evangelicals, myself included, openly welcome.